Fervent Foodie

Breakfast on the Balcony

October 24, 2011 7 Comments

If only breakfast could start with this EVERY day:

Mmmmm veggies!

I’m heading to Dallas for training this week, so the BF and I decided to cook up a special “last” breakfast… Oh, and by “we” I mean ME, of course. There’s only one morning person in this relationship. There’s also only one pants wearer. I’ll let you guess who that might be 😉

It was a crazy bright and sunny morning, perfect for enjoying a little grub on the balcony. Check out that beautiful tablescape!

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Clearly getting food in our bellies ASAP was at the top of the priority list.

I was especially excited to make breakfast this morning because I’ve been dying to try out my new Oxo Eggbeaters that came in my Food Blog Forum swag bag!

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YES! I love gadgets!!! And how cool are these eggbeaters? The beater section pops off the handle and is dishwasher safe. Honestly, I’ve never beaten eggs with egg beaters before–I usually just opt for a fork and whisk with all my might til my arm falls off. Holy cow did these beaters make life a heck of a lot easier. It was like the parting of the Red Sea…. the breakfast edition. I swear I could hear angels singing as I beat those eggs to perfection.

Using my beaten-to-perfection bowl o’ eggs, I made up a big batch of Mary’s special eggs (a list of the goodies I tossed in is at the bottom of the post).

Each serving went onto a low carb tortilla:

Topped with some low-fat pepper jack cheese and a bit of Frank’s Red Hot:

I also cooked up a pumpkin waffle using my Trader Joe’s Pumpkin pancake and waffle mix:

The waffle was good but not fall out of your chair delicious. Apparently, if you don’t fall out of your chair the recipe is crap in my book. I’m going to give the mix another shot in pancake form and see if it’s any tastier.

The wraps were fabulous. You really can’t go wrong with the “special” combo! I like to pop mine on the George Foreman grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

I mean, really. REALLY.

Mary’s Special Breakfast Burrito Wraps (serves 4)

3 large eggs
9 egg whites
3 turkey or chicken sausages (Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage)
1 diced roma tomato
1/4 chopped red onion
4 white mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh spinach, thinly sliced
S&P
Franks Red Hot
4 Low Carb Tortillas (Tumaro’s)
2 slices reduced fat pepper jack cheese (I like Sargento)

Click here to see how I cook these babies up.

Stats on 1 burrito: 285 calories, 15g carbs, 10g fat, 42g protein, 8g fiber

Recipes

Salted Caramel Brownies

October 20, 2011 16 Comments

Let me get you a napkin for that bit of drool you’ve got trailing down from your lower lip…

These lovely salted caramel brownies are courtesy of a recipe I tagged a few months back in Cooking Light. I’ve been dying to make them but I had no good reason to… and honestly I was trying to avoid having an entire batch of delicious brownies sitting on my kitchen counter BEGGING me to eat them. Seriously. I have control when it comes to a lot of things in life. Chocolate is not one of those things.

Then Jess posted a call-to-action on her blog Stylish, Stealthy & Healthy to join this little thing called the Blogger Sweet Swap.

Eureka! This was the perfect excuse to make the brownies!! Just think of the Sweet Swap as an arranged penpal relationship… with benefits. Sweet benefits.

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

Combine the following in a big ole bowl:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder

Then combine these guys in a little bowl:

6 tbsp melted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour the wets into the dries and stir to combine the thickest brownie batter you’ve ever laid eyes on.

The recipe calls for baking these guys in a 9 inch square metal pan coated with cooking spray for 19 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I baked mine in an 8 inch glass dish for 20 minutes, then 5 more minutes, then 5 MORE minutes.. then got impatient and took them out. Seriously, every time I bake brownies the darn toothpick NEVER comes out clean. Anyone else have this issue??

After the brownies cool completely, it’s time to make the caramel deliciousness. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small pot, then whisk in:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1.5 tbsp evaporated fat-free milk

Cook for two minutes, then remove from heat and whisk in:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Spread the yum sauce over the brownies:

Once everything cooled off completely I decided to extract the brownies from the pan….

Oh dear…

It looks like a Brownie Massacre.

Then I cut the hunks o’ brownie into tiny little brownie babies. Why did I think brownies would be a good idea again??

Next up is the chocolately drizzle. The following go into a microwave safe bowl:

2 tbsp evaporated fat-free milk
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. I scraped the chocolate into a ziplock baggie, snipped the corner off with scissors, and drizzled it over the brownie squares.

Disaster.

Then I sprinkled the tops with a bit o’ sea salt, picked the prettiest 12 of the bunch, and tucked them neatly into metal tray:

They kind of look like the photo… kind of.

So Molly @ Hungry Hungry Runner, I PROMISE these were edible and pretty and neatly packed when I shipped them. Whatever happens after this point is on the hands of the USPS.

I bet you’re wondering what I did with all those leftover brownies, huh? All I can say is these brownies are seriously delicious. More like fudge than brownies (probably due to my aforementioned brownie baking incompetencies). ABSOLUTELY delicious and seriously sweet. I stuck a few in the freezer for this weekend too 🙂

Ingredients List (makes ~20 brownies)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tbsp evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt

Curious to see how they arrived??? Check out Molly’s post for her recap!

Curious to see what sweets I got?

Then click here for the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe!!

Recipes, Slow Cookin

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

October 19, 2011 5 Comments

We’ve started a new (to us) tradition: Slow Cooker Sundays! Every Sunday this football season we’re going to bust out the Crockpot (or two) and cook up some comforting treats! This past Sunday our slow cooked supper was courtesy of Skinny Taste’s Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili recipe!

As you would expect with any slow cooker recipe, this was quite easy to throw together. I made a few minor tweaks to the original recipe… When do I not?!

All you do is toss the following into the crock:

1 chopped white onion
2 16-oz cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed (I used blacks beans)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
3 10-oz cans Rotel Tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder

Give everything a stir to combine:

Then plop about 30 ounces of raw chicken breasts on top and push them down slightly into the liquid.

We cooked our chili on high for 5.5 hours then pulled out the chicken breasts and gave them a quick shred with two forks. The chicken literally fell apart as I grabbed it!

Toss the chicken back in and 30 minutes later it is time to feast! We served our chili with a 1/2 serving of brown rice, dollop of Fat Free Trader Joe’s Plain Greek Yogurt, and a big ole handful of chopped raw onions.

There may have also been some Fritos added last minute Smile

This makes six hearty servings.

Stats on 1 hearty serving (no fixin’s): 347 calories, 44g carbs, 4g fat, 39g protein, 10g fiber

Ingredients List for Crock Pot Chicken Chili (serves 6):

1 chopped white onion
2 16-oz cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed (I used blacks beans)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
3 10oz cans Rotel Tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
30 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
Chopped raw onion (optional… really though, raw onions MAKE the chili don’t they?)
Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
Brown rice (optional)
Fritos (strongly encouraged)

What is your favorite slow cooker recipe? I’m on the lookout for something tasty to make this Sunday, so links would be super!

Recipes

Enchi-oo-la-la-das.

October 17, 2011 14 Comments

Yow.ZAAAAAAAAA!

These enchiladas were DELICIOUS!!! Comfort food meets Mexican Fiesta in my mouth. This was my first attempt at making enchiladas (still struggling to rationalize that one in my brain), and anytime I try something new I scour the internet in search of the ultimate recipe. This time I found a winner: Angela’s Awesome Enchiladas on Allrecipes.com. The nutritional stats for the original recipe weren’t so great, so I made a few Mary tweaks (Mweaks, as we call them).

First up: The Chicken. You need 2lbs of shredded chicken. We decided to go the boiling route, and plopped 2 lbs of halved chicken breasts into a pot of bowling water for about 12 minutes until cooked through. Then we shredded the chicken using two forks. You could also cook your chicken in a crockpot or use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe.

Step two: The sauce (AKA the Creamy Goodness)

Combine the following in a small pan and bring to a light simmer over low heat:

1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 tsp chili powder

Give it an occasional stir, and once warmed through remove from heat and cover.

Step Three: Sauté a small white onion in a big skillet coated with cooking spray until the onion softens. Toss in the shredded chicken and the following:

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Let all these treats simmer together for about 20 minutes, then stir in one cup of the creamy goodness and the filling is ready to groove:

Step Four: Rock n Roll. Get it?? Rock n Roll?? Ugh.. ok fine.

Spray a 9×13 pan with some cooking spray, spread the remaining creamy goodness on the bottom, then load up 6 Tumaro’s Low Carb Tortillas with 2/3 of a cup of the chicken filling. Roll the tortillas tight and place them seam side down in the pan:

Top the enchiladas with:

1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
Shredded Cheese, if desired (honestly this doesn’t add much bang for the calorie buck, so I say forgettaboutit)

Pop these puppies into a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes:

Then utilize the double-shovel method to extract the delicious enchiladas from the pan:

Serve with rice or corn or beans. Or Man Candy. You decide Winking smile

TADA!

Apparently someone’s thumb is a camera whore…

These enchiladas are pretty hefty (hefty, hefty… am I the only one who is physically incapable of saying “hefty” once??)… Anyway, I was full from one enchilada along with a bit of corn and rice. Jarrod ate two enchiladas and afterward questioned “how the heck he’d managed to consume that mass amount of food.”

At which point a 30 minute food coma commenced.

Added bonus: these enchiladas tasted just as good reheated the next day!

Stats on 1 enchilada (no shredded cheese): 321 calories, 31g carbs, 6g fat, 39g protein, 8g fiber.

Enchi-oo-la-la-das Ingredients List (makes 6):

2 lbs shredded skinless, boneless chicken
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 small onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided
1 cup water
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 Tumaro’s Low Carb Tortillas
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce

Restaurants

A sweet weekend.

October 16, 2011 11 Comments

The past few weekends have been go-go-go: from Atlanta to Nashville to sleep-deprivation-fueled grumpiness seeping through every ounce of my bones. Thank the heavens this weekend was a completely different story.

Friday night the BF and I headed to Hawthorne’s to share some mouth-watering chili queso dip and small sausage pizza. And a few beverages, naturally. We had our hearts set on a balsamic glazed pasta dish and a hot fudge brownie sundae, but alas we wimped out after the first two courses. Amateurs.

Saturday, after I made out like a bandit at the outlet malls, we took advantage of the sunny day (hello high 70’s in October) and walked a mile uptown to have lunch at Dean & Deluca. I’ve never been to Dean & Deluca before, partly because I didn’t entirely understand the concept of the place and partly because I thought it was over-priced and hoity toity.

Randomly my Citi card (that I’ve had for a mere 11 years) decided to actually pay up on my “thank you” points, so I cashed those puppies in for a gift card to Dean & Deluca.

Inside of D&D, they’ve got various pantry staples like pasta sauce, noodles, spreads, and salsa. There’s also a large fully stocked sandwich bar with pretty much any toppings you could want on a deli sandwich. I went with the turkey breast on multigrain:

Loads of turkey, avocado spread, tomato, sprouts, and some chipotle mayonnaise. YUM.

The sandwich was about $9, but it was a hoss. Definitely worth the price tag. The side dishes on the other hand were a bit pricier. We nabbed some hummus and Stacy’s Pita Chips:

And some white bean salad:

At $4 a pop for the sides, plus two sandwiches, the chips, and two bottled waters our lunch came to $35. In my opinion, that’s a bit pricy for a sandwich shop, BUT it was rather delicious.

We’ll go back… once those thank you points rack up again Smile

After lunch we headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Grocery shopping is always a serious event for us because we each buy enough food to feed a small family. Walking past the card aisle it suddenly dawned on me that it was Sweetest Day! Whoops! I know, I know. Sweetest Day is a Hallmark holiday. Some of you might not even know the day exists. I don’t care though. I’m all about celebrating and will take any excuse I can get!

Last year, we both forgot about Sweetest Day (clearly it’s a holiday of high importance). I was in the kitchen making lunch, when I realized our oversight. I turned to Jarrod, looked up at him with a look of angry rage, and said “It’s Sweetest Day! Where’s my chocolates, biotch?”

Yes. That happened.

Tee hee hee! I know, it’s horrible. It sure did give us both a good laugh though.

For this Sweetest Day, we stuck with our pre-realization plan and cooked up some enchiladas. All I can say is OMG. Recipe recap to come this week, promise.

Since we forgot about Sweetest Day, Sunday morning we woke up “bright and early” (9am) to have a post-Sweetest-Day breakfast at the Flying Biscuit Café.

We’ve been wanting to try this place out since we moved to Charlotte. There’s practically always a line outside and that’s usually a good sign that some good food can be found inside.

We sat outside on the back patio. It was so sunny and hot I had to take off my cardigan! Gotta love fall in the south!

I ordered the veggie omelet with some chicken sausage:

Even though we were loving the sunshine, it wasn’t making for super photo-snapping conditions. I was able to coerce Jarrod into helping me filter the light with a napkin:

Ahhhh… Look at that beautifully filtered light!

Jarrod got the cajun chicken scramble filled with goat cheese and spinach and topped with a well spiced tomato sauce.

Oh… and we got a pancake. With chocolate chips. *insert drool here*

EVERYTHING about this breakfast was delicious. Well seasoned, crazy good flavor, and no grease to be found. I can’t believe we haven’t been to Flying Biscuit Café before. They even had this amazing apple butter on the table that tasted of pure fall bliss. Cannot wait to go back and try their oatmeal pancake!

After breakfast I convinced Jarrod to go for a run with me! Jarrod HATES running. Despises it. LOATHES the idea. He gave it his all, and we made it nearly 4 miles split between intervals of running and walking. I am so proud of him Smile

While relaxing after the run, we watched the Browns lose Devil , cooked up some sweets for the Blogger Sweet Swap, then dined on some crockpot Chicken Taco Chili (posts to come this week, PROMISE!).

All-in-all a relaxing food-filled weekend with my sweet. I actually feel ready for Monday… dang hope I didn’t just jinx myself.

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